World’s first large-scale Power-to-X plant inaugurated in Aabenraa

The world’s largest PtX facility, an even larger plant in the pipeline, Northern Europe’s largest solar park, and one of the world’s largest biogas plants — major renewable energy projects are flourishing in Aabenraa Municipality. Yesterday, the PtX facility in Kassø was officially inaugurated, and the first e-methanol was bunkered by Laura Maersk, the world’s first container vessel powered by green fuel.

- Led by the City Council, we have proven that we are a municipality willing to embark on these green industrial ventures as a pioneer in the green transition. We work strategically, with a long-term perspective in our district planning and business strategy, so we can make a difference on the global green agenda — an agenda that many talk about, but not all dare to act on. We are also proud to be chosen by major investors, in part due to our administration’s confidential, flexible, and efficient handling of permits and processes, says Jan Riber Jakobsen, Mayor of Aabenraa Municipality, and continues:

- The inauguration of the Kassø PtX facility — with e-methanol supplied to companies like Novo Nordisk, LEGO, and Maersk — is a major milestone. The City Council is eager to follow the development closely, and I look forward to seeing how we, as a municipality, will work to harness the many spin-off industries and benefits that follow. As an organisation, we are learning tremendously from these large-scale green projects.

European Energy’s PtX facility in Kassø is now operational. With a capacity of 52 MW, the facility is expected to produce approximately 42,000 tonnes of green fuels annually.

Aabenraa Municipality is the first in Denmark to hire a strategic business developer with the title Head of PtX Development to fully capitalise on the opportunities arising from the energy transition. Hanne Klintøe works daily to cultivate the vast potential tied to current and future PtX developments in the municipality — including sector coupling, industrial symbioses, and surplus heat utilisation.

- European Energy is demonstrating remarkable courage in how they approach the green transition. Their modular approach to scale has brought the world’s largest PtX plant into operation with a closed value chain — it is truly impressive. This marks the beginning, not just to the decarbonisation of shipping, but also of realising sector coupling. European Energy’s method allows all of us to learn and practice the capabilities we need in the future, including how to authorise increasingly larger facilities, at a pace investors can work with. Aabenraa Municipality is the living lab in which companies and authorities can learn to deploy the green transition together - while generating growth, says Hanne Klintøe, Head of PtX Development, and continues:

- Aabenraa is attractive to green investors because we dare to act, we show political will, and we already have multiple initiatives underway. We are Denmark’s leading implementer of solar energy, we host large-scale projects across all forms of green energy, and we make space for sustainable production industries. In addition, we offer unparalleled infrastructure: a strong electricity grid, logistics hub, deep-water port, and green fuel bunkering for the world’s largest ships — as demonstrated by Laura Maersk yesterday. This is a prime location for companies looking to build the future.

Attached photos from yesterday’s inauguration of the PtX facility and the bunkering of Laura Maersk at the Port of Aabenraa are free for press use.